You Have Changed
by ArcBlazeon
Summary: Opal faces off Ivan, in a 3-on-3 Pokémon battle. Infused with hopefully poignant feelings, who will win this battle? Told from Opal's point of view. Reviews and constructive critism welcome.


This was made for fun, but my friend, Ivan Hoshikawa -- that's his username -- told me I should finish it and post it. Anyway, here it is. Please enjoy it, and constructive critism is welcome. He himself wrote a couple things in it, but when it didn't save properly (urk...) I had to rewrite it from the point he started at. I put in a couple things he wrote down from memory, though. And I have his permission. Just fyi.

Disclaimer: I created Opal's and Ivan's characters, with basis off real people. Pokémon and all related belong to the Pokémon Company, and at any message/suggestion that I own them will be deleted on discovery.

--- As told from Opal's POV.

I look across the uneven field at my opponent, Ivan. Standing 20 yards apart, about to start our Pokemon battle. I nervously tug at my sensible pink plaid jacket, briefly running my hand over my 6 Poké Balls attached to my waist. Finally, I would see his skill in action.

He's smirking, fairly confident of his win. I smile wanly. I know that there's a very small chance of me being victorious, then and now, but I won't go down without kicking and screaming. I was going to make him think about this battle for a long time!

"3-on-3, right?" I ask him.

"Yup. Are you ready?" He smirks again, something I'm tired of already, and had never seen before from his face His long hair lifts around his head in a halo for a moment, caught in the wind. There was no way I was going to wimp out on him, a boy with girl hair, however strong he was supposed to be. No matter who he was…

I finger a Poké Ball, holding it in front of my face, and enlarge it. I mutter a quick prayer, then toss it. Espeon, my pride and joy, gracefully leaps out, then settling into a feline pose. I smile widely, knowing that she won't let me down. I had her since she was an Eevee, many years ago. We knew each other better than anyone.

"Espeon, eh?" Ivan contemptuously spins his Poké Ball on his finger, actually quite well. "Well, it won't stand a chance against my Absol." With those words, his Absol tumbles out, ducking into a battle stance immediately. I have to admit, it was really well trained. This was going to be interesting.

"Espeon," I mutter, trying to avoid Ivan's ears, "Your psychic moves won't work against Absol. You need to go for physical attacks." She nods, understanding perfectly. Joy swells up in my heart. She's such an intelligent girl.

"Crunch." Ivan commands, and it obeys. Fangs bared, the Pokémon closes in on my Espeon. I tense, watching as my Eeveelution sits there, calm and collected. At the very last moment, she ducks, Absol's muzzle brushing against her back, then Headbutts. Ivan's Pokémon is thrown off, bruised but still alert.

"To be expected of you, I suppose, Opal." He murmurs, almost to himself, "To redirect my attack with an attack normally weak when used by Espeon, as a critical hit at that. But can you get out of this? Absol, use Faint Attack."

I suck in a breath, afraid for my Espeon. She avoids the first maneuver, but it soon becomes a dance, because she can sense the movement of Absol with her forked tail, and dodge a millisecond before the hit. Although my Espeon is blessed in speed, Absol soon puts in its inevitable attack, badly injuring my Pokemon. I grind my teeth, frustrated by the turn of events. I had to retreat.

"Espeon, return!" I call her back, saving her and letting her rest for later.

"Oh, scared?" Ivan's tone makes me more determined than before. He and his girly hair… I wouldn't lose to that. When did he grow out his hair, anyway?

I send out my trusty Ivysaur. I know that he's capable, and can defeat Absol in its current condition. That Headbutt earlier was a critical-hit, luckily. I whisper a quick idea to him, before straightening up to look back at my opponent, giving him another evaluation. I wasn't wrong about my previous analysis, but I was hoping to find a crack in Ivan somewhere.

As I was looking over my opponent, Ivysaur had started its attack. He quickly Wrapped Absol, and although it was Biting at the vines, it was going nowhere, fast. Still holding it, he started a Sunny Day, the clouds above us breaking up, allowing a small sliver of sunlight to envelope the field.

"I see what you're planning," Ivan smiles grimly, looking a bit less Stu-ish, "But, the question is, will my Absol break free before your Solarbeam hits?"

I smile back. "Let's see, shall we?"

The sun's energy is swirling into the flower bud on Ivysaur's back, glowing brighter by the second. Even though there is lots of sunlight, it still takes precious time. Absol starts to thrash harder, the vines shredding at a rapid rate. Suddenly, Absol is free, but not quite fast enough. Because of the struggle, its head was moved directly into the Solarbeam, instantly knocking it out.

"Bah!" He glares at me, and flicks his hair over his shoulder, accusing me of hurting his precious Absol. Recalling the unconscious Pokémon, he retorts, "That was only one. See if you find this Pokémon as easy to knock down!"

In a flashy manner, he releases his next Pokemon. Lucario. As it emerged, it was doing some kind of odd... dance. I'm not sure of his strategy with this one yet, but I try to think carefully. Lucario is a strong Pokemon, and I'm not too certain how I'm going to defeat it. I decide to repeat the move.

"Go ahead, Ivysaur. Use Solarbeam again!"

"Baaad move." Ivan warns. Regardless, he's happy at my mistake.

His Lucario dashes forward at an incredible rate, bouncing off rocks as support, and leaving dust-piles in its wake. My poor Ivysaur stands no chance, and gets toppled over with no idea with what hit him. I see a faint, reddish glow around one of Lucario's fists, and I realize what's about to happen.

"Watch out!!" I shriek, but to no avail. The Fire Punch scorches Ivysaur, and he goes limp. I sigh tearfully, and quickly rush over to use a Revive.

"You're breaking the rules." Ivan coldly looks toward me. "I hope you realize this means I win-"

"Oh, shut up!" I snap at him. "I'm not planning on using Ivysaur again, I'm trying to keep it from unnecessary pain." Really, he was a jerk. But he wasn't before, what had happened?

Sadness wells up inside of me, for Ivan, and I return Ivysaur to his Poké Ball. Its reward for trying its best would have to wait. I chew on my lip, not sure what to send out next. I was fairly confident I knew what his last Pokémon would be, but I couldn't take chances in a battle like this. I couldn't help but think that this girly-haired trainer would hit me with his purse before he would admit defeat.

Coming to a decision, aware of Ivan's gaze boring a hole into me, I carefully detach the Poké Ball from my belt. I polish it for a moment, take a deep breath, then drop the sphere, watching it roll and bounce. After a few seconds, it starts to shake, then seems to explode. I smile, recognizing the flair of my classy Pokémon.

A thick Mist appears, obscuring the arrival. I squint, but even I can't make out the familiar silhouette.

"What the…" Ivan trails off, eyes widening in disbelief. "No way!"

I had unleashed one of my most impressive Pokémon.

"That's right. Ivan, meet my Togekiss." I give a broad, confident grin. Togekiss was simply amazing. It had taken a lot of time and effort to get it to this stage; I couldn't wait to see how Lucario would fare.

"Alright Togekiss, you know what to do." I didn't need to instruct, we had gone over the same pattern of attacks with assured victory.

Lucario doesn't have a chance to defend itself as an Aura Sphere crashes into it. It tries to evade the Aura Spheres raining down on it, but I know that it's an unavoidable move. This round should end quickly.

Through the rolling Mist, I see Ivan's expression clear, and I start to worry. Did I make a mistake somehow?

"You forgot something, Opal. I thought you were more aware than that." His trademark smirk, then his face hardens. "Lucario, sense its aura."

Lucario starts to shimmer blue along its frame, and suddenly dashes forward, scraping Togekiss's belly with an Ice Punch. Faintly, I can see Togekiss trying to fly higher, but the Lucario drags it back down.

I continue to watch, stomach trembling, as they play Persian and Pichu, with my Pokémon not the Persian. Lucario manages to get in a couple more decent Ice Punches, and Togekiss looks like its going to crash out of the air any second.

"You should give up," Ivan's voice floats oddly out of the Mist, "Your Pokémon is very weak."

"No way!" I tell my Togekiss its first move this battle. "Use Roost!"

Togekiss's vague form is enveloped in a feathery-patterned white glow. Circling higher, it lets out a happy cry, ready to show-up Lucario.

"Now use that move we've been working on, Togekiss!"

Lucario tries to jump to the side, but the dampness caused by the Mist causes it to slip. The Fire Blast hits it straight in the chest, the heat evaporating the Mist, allowing me to see Ivan clearly.

His face is distorted in anger at the loss of his second Pokémon, and he focuses a glare on me. I feel sad, rather than frightened. What had happened to Ivan, when he was happy all those years ago? Who was this… stranger…. standing in front of me?

"Very well then," He sighs slightly, "Pikachu, let's finish this."

I knew it! His Pokémon choices were predicable, although very unlike his battle strategy. I had no clue why he had picked Pikachu, only that he would. Maybe if I asked him directly…

"Why not Rhyperior?" I question, trying to make him expose his strategy a little.

"There are more to Pokémon that types." He replies easily. "You won't be winning this battle. Pikachu, Volt Tackle!"

Oh no… "Togekiss, Aura Sphere! Quickly now!"

I knew that Aura Sphere was bound to hit, but what would move faster? Pikachu was gaining ground, and the Aura Sphere was taking time to charge. Togekiss wasn't going to survive that Volt Tackle. That Pikachu had once been that adorable Pichu…

It was going to be close. I force myself to look on, as the Aura Sphere is released, and watch as they draw close. Pikachu gets hit, mere inches from Togekiss, and the electricity from it combines with the sphere to throw up a gigantic dust-cloud.

I double over, coughing hard. I don't hear any coughing from Ivan, however. Then, a loud wail erupts. Pikachu's battle cry. Togekiss was done for.

"CHUUU!!"

Finally, the dust settles. I feel my stomach tie up in knots. I see my Pokémon, eyes closed.

"Good job." I whisper, returning the exhausted flying type to its Poké Ball.

"That's that. Looks like you lost. It was fun, I'll grant you that." Ivan is about to recall his Pikachu, but I interrupt him.

"Wait a second! This battle isn't over yet. I still have my Espeon. She didn't faint, I just recalled her!"

"If you wish to continue, very well." Ivan stares back up at me, not that unkindly either, and lowers the Poké Ball. Relief surges through me. At least I could finish the battle… and some of his old personality was still there.

Espeon and Pikachu face each other, much like their trainers standing behind them. I guess that they have enough energy to perform one attack each. Ivan's eyes meet mine, and we shout simultaneously…

"Espeon! Psychic!"

"Pikachu! Thunderbolt!"

The two attacks meet dead-on, creating a cloud of smoke, and blasting rocks in all directions. Again, the battlefield is obscured, leaving it all to the Pokémon. I feel hopelessness overwhelm me; I knew that Pikachu as long as I knew Espeon, and they would fight more passionately than any other Pokémon I could hope to encounter. There was no way Espeon was going to survive this though. She had always lost before…

I heard the sound of a scuffle, and small cries, but I couldn't make out was happening. Slowly, the smoke cleared, and in the center was my Espeon, standing above the unconscious Pikachu, injured but strong.

"It looks like you finally won, Opal." Ivan looks up at me, but there is no trace of bitterness in his face. "Thank you for this battle. Truly."

"I… won?" I couldn't believe it. This was momentous.

"There are more to Pokemon than types. Your Espeon really must love you, for a physical attack like Return to work so well. I am glad...." He begins to walk away, without even a wave.

"Ivan!" I call out to him. "You've… changed."

He turns back then, and gives me one real smile. How he used to smile, so many years ago. Yet, it was twisted by sadness. "And you haven't at all."

With that, he disappears into the horizon.

---

Thank you for reading! If anyone is curious to know, "Persian and Pichu" is respectively "Cat and Mouse". Ivan Hoshikawa suggested it to me, and I kept that detail.


End file.
